Federal Lands in 24 States Receive Money from ‘Transit In Parks’ Program

WASHINGTON – The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced that 47 projects in national parks, forests and wildlife refuges across the United States will share in $27 million from its Paul S. Sarbanes Transit In Parks program to improve public and alternative transportation within the grounds.

“This investment in our federal lands will give visitors, including persons with disabilities, more options for getting around while inside the parks,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “While making federal lands more accessible, it will also conserve energy and natural resources.”

The U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and local partner communities will receive funds for 47 projects ranging from a comprehensive transportation planning study for the Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Hawaii to the implementation of ferry service at Salem Maritime Historic Preserve in Massachusetts.

“Connecting people to our parks, refuges, forests and historic and cultural sites is one of the primary goals of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a new conservation ethic for the 21st Century,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “With these projects, we are opening the way for many more people to discover the beauty, history and culture of America.”

“Transit improvements are about connecting people and places, and our national parks are some of the most beautiful places in the world,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “These projects will help preserve the splendor of our national parks and enhance the entire experience of visiting them.”

Congress established the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program to enhance the protection of national parks and federal lands and increase the enjoyment of those visiting them. The grants being announced today will come primarily from Fiscal Year 2010 funds that had remained unallocated.

Administered by the FTA in partnership with the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service, the program funds capital and planning expenses for alternative transportation systems, such as shuttle buses and bicycle trails, in national parks and public lands. The goals of the program are to conserve natural, historical, and cultural resources, and reduce congestion and pollution.